Chapter 90
Lance whispered to Wade, “What do you think?”
Wade shrugged. “I don’t know. I don’t want to get my hopes up that he found something. So far, Milton and his minions have been careful.”
Lance’s eyes widened in mock horror and he pressed his hand to his chest. “Oh, no! Don’t call his lackeys that! You may not have noticed, but I have a lot of Minions stuff. Boxers, fleece pants, T-shirts. Despicable Meis a favorite of mine. My sister and I used to watch it when she was young.”
Wade grinned. “I’ve definitely noticed.” His mouth almost touched Lance’s ear. “And the Minions pants? Sexy as hell on you, Lance.”
Lance’s face turned bright red and Wade chuckled. He loved to see Lance’s skin flushed. If only they could sneak upstairs and peel off their clothes. Wade was primed to find out just howpink Lance’s skin was at the moment. But the family had decided to exchange gifts in a little while, and he couldn’t wait to see Lance’s face light up when he opened his present. Wade had filled a box with Despicable Meitems—a fleece blanket, a hoodie, a mug, and some sock-style slippers. Thankfully, Lance’s sister had filled Wade in on his little obsession. He was pretty sure Lance was going to be surprised
Crap! The present!His heart dropped into his belly as he felt the color drain from his face. His eyes widened as panic set in. He’d hidden Lance’s present in the barn. The fucking barn! He pulled himself from the love seat, his gaze darting to a window facing the back.
“Um, I-I have to…I have to…I’ll be right back,” he stammered, nearly spilling his root beer as he planted it on the end table.
Lance rose. “What’s wrong? You’re scaring me. You look…freaked out.”
Wade drew in a deep breath. “I’m fine. Fine. Just need to check something. Fine.”
Lance furrowed his brow, but when Wade didn’t say anything more, he stepped aside and let him pass. Wade marched into the kitchen, waving at Lorna when she turned from the stove, and hurried through the mudroom. He threw on his coat and flung open the back door.
It has to be okay. I can’t mess up our first Christmas together!
He pulled the coat closer to his body, trying to block some of the wind. The stench from the barn grew stronger the closer he got, and he wondered if they might have to tear the whole thing down to get rid of the odor. He hoped not, but they certainly couldn’t let the horses be around the foul smell.
The doors stood open and the wind whipped through as he stepped inside. The damage took his breath away. It was worse than he’d thought it would be. He took in the blackened walls, the hole in the ceiling at the opposite end, and the residue from the foam covering nearly everything. He knew he probably shouldn’t be in there, that the burned part of the barn was fragile and could fall in, but he was thinking with his heart, not his head.
His gut twisted when he saw the present on the floor, fallen from the shelf where he’d hidden it under a horse blanket. He crouched and knew instantly it was ruined. The wrapping paper was torn and smoky; the box underneath was completely wet. And the smell…God, the smell was rancid
He pulled himself up and walked out, his shoulders drooping. He knew he could replace the items and it wasn’t like he’d spent a fortune. But the idea that he had nothing to give his husband on their first Christmas was disheartening. He couldn’t stop feeling like he’d failed.
The sound of a car pulling into the ranch caught his attention and he waved when he saw Sheriff Hunter. He strode forward and shook his hand when he climbed out of his vehicle.
“Merry Christmas. Sorry you had to come out today.”
“No worries, Wade. I’m hoping I can make your Christmas a little better,” he said with a small smile.
Hope flared in Wade and he gestured for the sheriff to follow him to the back door. Once inside, after they removed their snow-encrusted boots at Lorna’s insistence, he led him to the great room.
Casey jumped up to shake his hand. “Hey, great to see you. Merry Christmas.”
Wade settled back in beside Lance, who watched him with concern.
“Everything okay?”
Wade slid his arm around Lance’s shoulders, pulling him close. “Yeah.” He’d have to break the bad news soon enough.
He watched as everyone exchanged pleasantries. They’d nearly lost their horses, their barn might be a total ruin, and they had a madman after them, but his family still had enough gratitude to know things could have been worse and they were determined to celebrate the holiday.